Looks like I’m the only one to get the Alan Partridge reference! Plus kudos on the writer for acknowledging that wiimote controls are the best fps controls ever for a console
Will this site be spoiling the game in article titles? I'm happy not to read any zelda articles, but if NL put spoilers in headlines, the only way to avoid them would be to avoid looking at this site at all for seven weeks!
Knowing Zelda, I think we can have at least some faith that a customisation system would be light and integrated sensitively into the game so as to be relatively peripheral. Here's hoping that's true!
I'll be gutted if it has a detailed customising system of any kind as simplicity is one of my favourite aspects of Zelda. No skill trees, in-depth nested menus or RPG systems please!
I love my Wii U! Only way to play Twilight Princess and Windwaker in hi-def too. Just a quirky piece of gaming history to have in my collection. Just don’t get rid of those gamepads folks, they’re going to skyrocket in value.
This is actually a fantastic game, based on it’s gripping and authentic physics & handling. This was a gift as a result of the fact that Paradigm were established space and aviation simulation specialists. There’s something endearing about the simplicity of the graphics, being such a graphically primitive first wave N64 game. It’s understandable that modern gamers who weren’t there at the time might not warm to it, but I do feel that these days, this game is underrated in general.
Nice. Although part of the reason it looks so much worse here than we remember is because we played on CRT. And the low frame rate looks more jarring on a modern TV. OLED etc. has a very fast grey-to-grey pixel response, which is sample-and-hold, accentuating low frame rate frame transitions much more harshly than CRT. Of course it still looks crisper and smoother - I'm very nostalgic for the N64 though, so love putting that cart into my N64 & playing on a Trinitron.
@Rika_Yoshitake @acNewUpdates you’re both right - the trouble is that these games are being emulated while the console cycle is still in progress. The emulation should only be available once the Switch cycle is over. Most people use Switch emulation for piracy at the moment, which is bad, but it will end up being essential to game preservation, which is great. Of course this ideal scenario will never happen.
I’ve always been baffled by this weird niche of sexualising young girls in gaming, anime etc. - who likes this stuff? I don’t buy the ‘sexualised characters are over 18’ clause for this game one bit. Seems a bit sad to me - If you’re an adult & into this stuff it’s time to get out more. Preferably away from children.
I really hope games move away from this ageing point of interest map route. I find games like this less and less interesting. And having to clutter every game with RPG mechanics and stats turns me right off. Take a note from BOTW & use creativity to produce games that naturally surprise & delight without all this distraction.
Some think the game hasn’t held up well, but honestly if you give it a proper go, it’s still amazingly fun. The 1.2 control layout is perfect - c buttons for movement and analogue for aim. So satisfying, the missions are still great - it just takes giving it a little time to get readjusted. You can even use 2 controllers for dual analogue.
Amazing! I’ll always play on original hardware + CRT for nostalgia and to avoid too-sharp polygons which look a bit odd with N64 - but this project is very interesting.
Actually if you really know how to play the game, can power slide properly, chain drifts etc, the core gameplay is still absolutely fantastic. I find it odd that people have started to deride this game, but eventually realised it’s usually newer players trying to go back from MK8. It plays so differently, but when you get it, its still very very good.
It doesn’t have that super-stable handling of MK8, but for this game that was intentional. If you mess the cart around in a way that represents bad driving, you go unstable & unless you counter, the game will spin you out. This creates another layer to the handling model that’s immensely satisfying and rewards decisive,, clean gameplay.
From my perspective, we all love Nintendo for their ethos of creating a collaborative, harmonious gaming atmosphere. So I think it’s right that we should expect them to treat their employees with respect too. If they have gone off the rails in that respect, action should be taken. I love Nintendo, but if they’re bad employers then it definitely would sour the experience for me.
@Chrysologus Totally, each to their own & I can appreciate that. You might love the deblur mode of the ultraHDMI - perfect sharp N64 pixels similar to the PS1.
Never liked this sort of stuff - I sold my mclassic. They have a weird unnatural effect reminiscent of bilinear filtering in SNES emulation - yuck. And I never liked the forced colour ‘enhancement”. It smacks of trying to impress with an image that appeals at first but then after a while looks overdone and unnatural. Give me the developer’s intentions every time.
Amazing project, but high resolution for the N64 to me just make the game look like a bundle of polygons. For me, the only way I've seen to make the game shine while retaining the original atmosphere while looking cleaner is via the Gamecube via RGB into a consumer CRT in 480i at 5-6ft. It's absolutely magic and as far as I know, no one seems to know about it. The interlaced image softens the image beautifully while still looking so clean - and avoids the overly pixellated image of 480p (not the original feel of the game). As it's a consumer set, the interlacing isn't apparent at 5-6ft. The really amazing thing is that with this setup, the GC's upscaling of the original 2D elements blend almost perfectly with the 480i image, so look clean and as if they're supposed to be there. Again, 480p wouldn't allow for this - or 480i on a pro CRT for that matter, low-use consumer set is best. Of course trying to get this to look good on a flat panel is hopeless. 480p and below looks overly pixellated and takes away from the authentic image of the world. Hi res just fine for a lot of people and I completely understand that people love that, it's just not the world that Nintendo presented and I wish more people could see how much that takes away from the original vision. On the right display, you have the best of all worlds - original feel of the game, higher res but not too-high-res, beautiful, smooth, clean image and nicely integrated text & 2D elements. When all this comes together, you are truly transported seamlessly into the seminal world that this team created, fully absorbed without any distracting elements to pull you out of the experience, invoking the true spirit and magic of the game that blew us all away so profoundly back in the day.
Fine to prefer other consoles but you’ll never find a seasoned well rounded industry pundit who feels the GameCube wasn’t good. Saying so says more about the commenter’s lack of understanding. Possibly due to being young at the time & susceptible to console war bias.
@mattysaurus Unless you have a CRT of course. You can get a 480p RGB signal directly from the console via either a modded official component cable or GCvideo. Although there are fantastic solutions out there, flat panels can never match a good CRT for a smooth, clean 480p image, whatever the input or scaler.
@Spider-Kev I’m assuming you’re not a follower of retro stuff these days? Component gives a much better signal than s-video, this is universally known on the retro scene. All the hardcore gamers knew that back in the day as well. Component is close to RGB quality.
@Scapetti Love your attitude - you're absolutely right. Everyone (including me) obsesses too much over this stuff sometimes. I expect I could have a great time with Stadia etc.
@Scapetti I get your points other than the latency issue. Having game mode off often goes past the 100ms point so even half that would be too much for most non-casual gamers who prefer low latency. But for casuals such as yourself it's a great solution as you say.
Trouble is when the game is played at high resolutions the polygons become too defined & the game loses it's charm & magic - the qualities that make the game so incredibly special. 480i on consumer CRT (preferably a Trinitron via Gamecube's RGB) is the only way it looks better than the original while retaining the authentic look. This is because the interlacing of the 640x480 image on a low use consumer set mitigates the over-pixellation that would usually occur at 480p - and is mild enough not to be distracting at five feet from a 25" set (optimal CRT size for GC). The result is a very authentic & smooth image. For Pro CRT monitors the interlacing is too distracting - a low-use consumer set is best. 480p and above looks inauthentic for N64 & even the best N64 HDMI mods are dreadful vs CRT. The 3DS version also fails to capture the magic of the original for various reasons.
I think only CRT enthusiasts who were blown away by the original game in the 90's will understand what I'm talking about. the best N64 HDMI mods are dreadful vs CRT.
Comments 477
Re: Review: Call of Duty: Black Ops II (Wii U)
Why can’t I find anyone online? 😂 Might get this for the single player campaign..
Re: Feature: Call Of Duty On Nintendo Systems - A Brief History
Looks like I’m the only one to get the Alan Partridge reference! Plus kudos on the writer for acknowledging that wiimote controls are the best fps controls ever for a console
Re: Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom Gameplay Trailer Drops Tomorrow, 28th March 2023
Will this site be spoiling the game in article titles? I'm happy not to read any zelda articles, but if NL put spoilers in headlines, the only way to avoid them would be to avoid looking at this site at all for seven weeks!
Re: Eiji Aonuma On Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom: Expect New Gameplay That Will Change The Game World
Knowing Zelda, I think we can have at least some faith that a customisation system would be light and integrated sensitively into the game so as to be relatively peripheral. Here's hoping that's true!
Re: Eiji Aonuma On Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom: Expect New Gameplay That Will Change The Game World
I'll be gutted if it has a detailed customising system of any kind as simplicity is one of my favourite aspects of Zelda. No skill trees, in-depth nested menus or RPG systems please!
Re: Princess Peach And Donkey Kong Debut In New Super Mario Bros Movie Trailer
@Gamergirl94 So agree - everything perfect apart from Mario’s voice.
Re: Feature: Wii U Memories - Our Pre-Launch Thoughts On Nintendo's Charming Misstep
I love my Wii U! Only way to play Twilight Princess and Windwaker in hi-def too. Just a quirky piece of gaming history to have in my collection. Just don’t get rid of those gamepads folks, they’re going to skyrocket in value.
Re: Nintendo's Latest N64 Game For Switch Online + Expansion Pack Is Out Now
This is actually a fantastic game, based on it’s gripping and authentic physics & handling. This was a gift as a result of the fact that Paradigm were established space and aviation simulation specialists. There’s something endearing about the simplicity of the graphics, being such a graphically primitive first wave N64 game. It’s understandable that modern gamers who weren’t there at the time might not warm to it, but I do feel that these days, this game is underrated in general.
Re: Pilotwings 64 For Switch Online Appears To Be Targeting A Higher Frame Rate
Nice. Although part of the reason it looks so much worse here than we remember is because we played on CRT. And the low frame rate looks more jarring on a modern TV. OLED etc. has a very fast grey-to-grey pixel response, which is sample-and-hold, accentuating low frame rate frame transitions much more harshly than CRT. Of course it still looks crisper and smoother - I'm very nostalgic for the N64 though, so love putting that cart into my N64 & playing on a Trinitron.
Re: Random: Wii U Owner's Son Stuffs A Bunch Of Switch Carts Into The Disc Drive
Yes, I often put PS Vita games in my PS5 & get confused. Of course I always remember why & prise them out with a bread knife.
Re: Nintendo Is Apparently Not Involved In The New Switch DRM Initiative
@Rika_Yoshitake @acNewUpdates you’re both right - the trouble is that these games are being emulated while the console cycle is still in progress. The emulation should only be available once the Switch cycle is over. Most people use Switch emulation for piracy at the moment, which is bad, but it will end up being essential to game preservation, which is great. Of course this ideal scenario will never happen.
Re: Adventure Game 'Calme' Reminds Us Of Ni No Kuni And Octopath Traveler
Looks gorgeous. Hope it’s a straight up adventure & not bogged down with RPG mechanics like so many adventure games
Re: Controversial Rhythm Game 'Massage Freaks' May Have Been Canned On Switch
I’ve always been baffled by this weird niche of sexualising young girls in gaming, anime etc. - who likes this stuff? I don’t buy the ‘sexualised characters are over 18’ clause for this game one bit. Seems a bit sad to me - If you’re an adult & into this stuff it’s time to get out more. Preferably away from children.
Re: Witcher 3 Dev Admits He Overcrowded One Map With Too Many Points Of Interest
I really hope games move away from this ageing point of interest map route. I find games like this less and less interesting. And having to clutter every game with RPG mechanics and stats turns me right off. Take a note from BOTW & use creativity to produce games that naturally surprise & delight without all this distraction.
Re: Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3 Confirmed For Launch This Fall
Oh well, Mario kart had a good innings..
Re: Memory Pak: After 20 Years, Eternal Darkness Really Deserves A Second Life
Put it on a smallish, low-use consumer CRT & it still looks pretty good.
Re: Rumour: Nintendo Direct To Take Place Later This Month
Metroid release date at last! Probably a ‘and one more thing..’ at the end of the presentation, game releasing next day.
Re: Super Mario Odyssey's VFX Artist On Combining Mario With The 'Real' World
Please make that the last time. Really great idea that worked well but I want Mario to be firmly in the mushroom kingdom from now on.
Re: GoldenEye 007's Return Could Be Close
Some think the game hasn’t held up well, but honestly if you give it a proper go, it’s still amazingly fun. The 1.2 control layout is perfect - c buttons for movement and analogue for aim. So satisfying, the missions are still great - it just takes giving it a little time to get readjusted. You can even use 2 controllers for dual analogue.
Re: New N64 Emulator Plugin Adds Ray Tracing, Widescreen, 60FPS (And More) To Classics Like Zelda & Paper Mario
Amazing! I’ll always play on original hardware + CRT for nostalgia and to avoid too-sharp polygons which look a bit odd with N64 - but this project is very interesting.
Re: Fangamer's Gorgeous Banjo-Tooie Vinyl Box Set Is Now Available
fabulous, love this
Re: Video: Just What Is The Best Super Mario Game Of All Time?
@Anti-Matter I want whatever you're having. Make it a double so I can catch up to where you are
Re: You Can Play Mario Kart 64 In Glorious HD Thanks To This Fan-Made Texture Pack
Actually if you really know how to play the game, can power slide properly, chain drifts etc, the core gameplay is still absolutely fantastic. I find it odd that people have started to deride this game, but eventually realised it’s usually newer players trying to go back from MK8. It plays so differently, but when you get it, its still very very good.
It doesn’t have that super-stable handling of MK8, but for this game that was intentional. If you mess the cart around in a way that represents bad driving, you go unstable & unless you counter, the game will spin you out. This creates another layer to the handling model that’s immensely satisfying and rewards decisive,, clean gameplay.
Re: Nintendo Of America Named In Workers' Rights Complaint
From my perspective, we all love Nintendo for their ethos of creating a collaborative, harmonious gaming atmosphere. So I think it’s right that we should expect them to treat their employees with respect too. If they have gone off the rails in that respect, action should be taken. I love Nintendo, but if they’re bad employers then it definitely would sour the experience for me.
Re: A Fan-Made Mod of Metroid Prime Is the Remaster You've Been Hoping For
@accc exactly!
Re: A Fan-Made Mod of Metroid Prime Is the Remaster You've Been Hoping For
@AndyC_MK111 Same goes - and Prime was 60fps already.
Re: Gallery: Here's A Look At The Switch Online Version Of Mario Golf, Plus A Comparison Video
@Chrysologus Totally, each to their own & I can appreciate that. You might love the deblur mode of the ultraHDMI - perfect sharp N64 pixels similar to the PS1.
Re: Gallery: Here's A Look At The Switch Online Version Of Mario Golf, Plus A Comparison Video
N64 on the right CRT at the right distance looks much much better, more clean, vibrant and less pixelated than those N64 images.
Re: Hands On: 4K Gamer Pro - A 4K 'Silver Bullet' For Your Nintendo Switch?
Love it - bet it looks lovely
Re: Hands On: 4K Gamer Pro - A 4K 'Silver Bullet' For Your Nintendo Switch?
@NinChocolate Love this! What method did you use to interlace the signal?
Re: Hands On: 4K Gamer Pro - A 4K 'Silver Bullet' For Your Nintendo Switch?
Never liked this sort of stuff - I sold my mclassic. They have a weird unnatural effect reminiscent of bilinear filtering in SNES emulation - yuck. And I never liked the forced colour ‘enhancement”. It smacks of trying to impress with an image that appeals at first but then after a while looks overdone and unnatural. Give me the developer’s intentions every time.
Re: Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Could Be Inducted Into The Video Game Hall Of Fame
These guys have absolutely no idea. I bet they'd put candy crush above Zelda.
Re: There Are Already Mods For The Zelda: Ocarina Of Time PC Port
@Damo Absolutely agreed - love this site
Re: There Are Already Mods For The Zelda: Ocarina Of Time PC Port
Amazing project, but high resolution for the N64 to me just make the game look like a bundle of polygons. For me, the only way I've seen to make the game shine while retaining the original atmosphere while looking cleaner is via the Gamecube via RGB into a consumer CRT in 480i at 5-6ft. It's absolutely magic and as far as I know, no one seems to know about it. The interlaced image softens the image beautifully while still looking so clean - and avoids the overly pixellated image of 480p (not the original feel of the game). As it's a consumer set, the interlacing isn't apparent at 5-6ft. The really amazing thing is that with this setup, the GC's upscaling of the original 2D elements blend almost perfectly with the 480i image, so look clean and as if they're supposed to be there. Again, 480p wouldn't allow for this - or 480i on a pro CRT for that matter, low-use consumer set is best. Of course trying to get this to look good on a flat panel is hopeless. 480p and below looks overly pixellated and takes away from the authentic image of the world. Hi res just fine for a lot of people and I completely understand that people love that, it's just not the world that Nintendo presented and I wish more people could see how much that takes away from the original vision. On the right display, you have the best of all worlds - original feel of the game, higher res but not too-high-res, beautiful, smooth, clean image and nicely integrated text & 2D elements. When all this comes together, you are truly transported seamlessly into the seminal world that this team created, fully absorbed without any distracting elements to pull you out of the experience, invoking the true spirit and magic of the game that blew us all away so profoundly back in the day.
Re: Random: Smash Ultimate Rollback Netcode Mod "Proof Of Concept" Up And Running On Switch
Would love to see this for the N64 online multiplayer stuff - specifically MK64
Re: Random: Console Modder Makes "Fake Portable GameCube" Mock-Up A Reality
Fine to prefer other consoles but you’ll never find a seasoned well rounded industry pundit who feels the GameCube wasn’t good. Saying so says more about the commenter’s lack of understanding. Possibly due to being young at the time & susceptible to console war bias.
Re: Video: We Can't Stop Buying Weird Nintendo Games
I wish we had retro meet-ups in the south west of the UK. Seems to be nothing.
Re: Gallery: Here's A Look At The Switch Online Version Of F-Zero X, Plus A Video Comparison
@UglyCasanova It's all good - it was made by the EAD division
Re: Retro-Bit's GameCube Component Cable Will Save You Some Pennies
@Dirty0814 Totally wrong. Many GC games can output 480p. Most in my collection do in fact.
Re: Retro-Bit's GameCube Component Cable Will Save You Some Pennies
@HolyGeez03 There’s no such thing as RGB component. Component is YPbPr
Re: Retro-Bit's GameCube Component Cable Will Save You Some Pennies
@mattysaurus Unless you have a CRT of course. You can get a 480p RGB signal directly from the console via either a modded official component cable or GCvideo. Although there are fantastic solutions out there, flat panels can never match a good CRT for a smooth, clean 480p image, whatever the input or scaler.
Re: Retro-Bit's GameCube Component Cable Will Save You Some Pennies
@Spider-Kev I’m assuming you’re not a follower of retro stuff these days? Component gives a much better signal than s-video, this is universally known on the retro scene. All the hardcore gamers knew that back in the day as well. Component is close to RGB quality.
Re: Random: Where Does Hyrule Truly End In Zelda: Breath Of The Wild? Let's Find Out
Love the Douglas adams. And love your site Damien
Re: Digital Foundry Gives Its Assessment Of Cloud Gaming On Switch
@Scapetti Love your attitude - you're absolutely right. Everyone (including me) obsesses too much over this stuff sometimes. I expect I could have a great time with Stadia etc.
Re: Digital Foundry Gives Its Assessment Of Cloud Gaming On Switch
@Scapetti I get your points other than the latency issue. Having game mode off often goes past the 100ms point so even half that would be too much for most non-casual gamers who prefer low latency. But for casuals such as yourself it's a great solution as you say.
Re: Even Miyamoto Doesn't Like "Stupid" Navi In Zelda: Ocarina Of Time
Sounds like I'm of the same opinion as everyone else - Navi's absolutely fine, just indicitave of the era.
Re: Video: MVG Takes A Closer Look At Nintendo Switch Online's N64 Update
Trouble is when the game is played at high resolutions the polygons become too defined & the game loses it's charm & magic - the qualities that make the game so incredibly special. 480i on consumer CRT (preferably a Trinitron via Gamecube's RGB) is the only way it looks better than the original while retaining the authentic look. This is because the interlacing of the 640x480 image on a low use consumer set mitigates the over-pixellation that would usually occur at 480p - and is mild enough not to be distracting at five feet from a 25" set (optimal CRT size for GC). The result is a very authentic & smooth image. For Pro CRT monitors the interlacing is too distracting - a low-use consumer set is best. 480p and above looks inauthentic for N64 & even the best N64 HDMI mods are dreadful vs CRT. The 3DS version also fails to capture the magic of the original for various reasons.
I think only CRT enthusiasts who were blown away by the original game in the 90's will understand what I'm talking about. the best N64 HDMI mods are dreadful vs CRT.
Re: This Unofficial Zelda PC Port Is About '90% Complete', Say Devs
Ocarina looks best in 480i on Gamecube with 25" consumer CRT - much better than any emulation. Can't argue with that.
Re: Banjo-Kazooie Joins Switch Online's Expansion Pack This Week
@Freek Love it! I do the same, the only 100% authentic experience. To be lost forever at some point unfortunately.
Re: Banjo-Kazooie Joins Switch Online's Expansion Pack This Week
@Freek Ahh but do you play them on CRT?